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mjweenz · 3 months ago

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Has it really been two years?

Looking back at our blog I saw the last entry was in June, 2023. We were returning from our last trip to the Bahamas. It’s now April 24, almost two years later and we are off to the Bahamas again.

But what has transpired (cruising wise) in the meantime?

Last spring our cruising took us north to the Chesapeake Bay. On the way we stopped at old favorites like Charleston, St Augistine, Fernandino Beach and others. Once on the bay Norfolk, Solomons Island and Annapolis were visited. The highlights were a week with our entire family in Baltimore where our son Ryan and his wife Katie live. Our daughter and her family met us there and stayed on the boat with us. We also saw the remnants of the Key Bridge and the ship that hit it.

Another highlight was our visit to Washington DC and the trip up the Potomac. We stopped at Mt Vernon on the way there (and got an invitation to the wine festival there!) and Alexandria.

We bought a new dinghy in Annapolis and I should probably mention the incident with the nuclear submarine in Norfolk.

But you’ll have to keep reading for that story.

We left yesterday for this trip after many months of fixing our home and boat after hurricanes Helene and Milton. It took 6 months of hard labor (we took January off) and we are ready to relax.

Changes in Attitudes had her teak rail toward the bow splintered and the port weatherboard smashed. Along with fixing that damage we had her hauled for a bottom job, running gear maintained, buffed and polished and a host of wiring projects completed. It all came together and at noon on the 23rd we cast off. And we did so in a somewhat embarrassing fashion.

We have two fairly large fender balls. To clear the deck I tied them to the stern rail. Close together and right in the middle. Our neighbor Lynn took a picture of us leaving, balls and all.

As my friend Doug pointed out we looked like a Texas pickup truck.

Dusk found us close to Point Ybel so we lowered the anchor and repaired for a relaxing evening.

Not.

The house water pump quit. And we wanted showers.

No problem, I have a spare. So I installed it.

It didn’t work.

So now I had two pumps, one with a bad motor and one with a bad pump. Which meant that I could use the good parts to make one good pump. So that’s what I did.

For three hours in a 95 degree engine room on a somewhat rolly boat.

But it worked and the shower was marvelous! As was Linda’s salmon on Cesar Salad with wine.

Tonight’s destination is Little Shark River, another anchorage. It’s in the Everglades and can be buggy at times. Tomorrow we head to Marathon for fuel, water, provisions and bike riding.

Oh, the nuclear submarine incident.

We were leaving Hampton Roads and when we reached the main channel our engines quit. Both of them. The water was 80’ deep, too deep to anchor. We were drifting toward an anchored ship as a nuclear submarine was heading toward us with an entourage of 40’ guard boats with 50 caliber machine guns. And they were pointed at us.

I thought it would be prudent to hail the Coast Guard.

I reached them and explained our predicament. They asked the standard souls on board and PFD questions then one that threw me.

“Changes in Attitudes do you have adequate food and water aboard?

Huh? WTF? How long were we going to be here?

Just as Tow Boat US showed up I got the motors started. I had transferred fuel the night before and left a valve open allowing air into the fuel lines. Once I figured out my mistake and bled the fuel lines the motors started.

I immediately told the Coast Guard we were under power and to please let the guys with the machine guns know.

I could have offered them a beer.

Changes in Attitudes, out.

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